The invention disclosed herein relates an oral appliance and, more specifically, a mouthguard for use in sporting applications. The present invention provides a mouthguard which may be used by an individual having orthodontic appliances, such as braces, when the individual is participating in sporting activities and other similar activities.
Mouthguards have been developed and sold for several years for use in connection with sporting activities, such as contact sports like football and hockey, and other similar activities. Mouthguards are commonly used as part of these sporting activities to protect the mouth and teeth of a participant from damage that may result from impacts suffered by the participant as part of the sporting activity. Such mouthguards range from inexpensive devices which are premoulded and non-adjustable to more expensive orthodontic devices that are fitted by dentists or orthodontists.
Mouthguards generally consist of a U-shaped device that cushions the impact of the upper and lower teeth of the user and protects the user's teeth in response to a jarring action or impact.
Mouthguards are typically made from plastics material such as an ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) and fall into two general categories. The mouthguards are often either stock products premoulded and made in a variety of sizes, or are a product that may be moulded to suit the physical characteristics of the user. The stock mouthguards are typically the cheapest and least effective in use, while the custom moulded and shaped mouthguards are the most expensive and effective in their impact absorbent properties.
Several prior art mouldable mouthguards are made from ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), which is a softenable thermoplastic. The softening point of EVA is less than the temperature of boiling water. Therefore, a mouthguard made from EVA may be formed, or custom fit, to the user's mouth by placing the mouthguard in hot water until it becomes soft, placing it in the user's mouth, and having the user bite down into the mouthguard. Such a mouthguard, after cooling, then retains the shape of the user's teeth and mouth.
A more expensive type of mouthguard is a custom mouthguard generally provided by dentists. The “custom-fitted” dentist-provided mouthguards are manufactured directly from an impression taken of the user's teeth and jaw. A plastic material is then formed around a mould generated from the impression, resulting in a mouthguard that is custom-fitted to the user's mouth and teeth.
A traditional mouthguard for individuals with braces is simply placed in the user's mouth. Currently marketed non-mouldable mouthguards for braces or other dental appliances are composed of medical grade silicone, or other high temperature materials that cannot be heated or boiled for fitting around the teeth and gums. Because such traditional mouthguards cannot be fitted to the individual user, they tend to move around in the user's mouth, making it difficult to breathe and speak, and they fail to provide adequate protection, depending at least in part upon the position at the time of impact. Additionally, since the traditional mouthguards tend to move around in the user's mouth, they often are not very comfortable for the user and, as a result, a user will often forgo using the mouthguard to remain more comfortable, leading to an increased incidence of injuries to the user's mouth and/or teeth due to impacts suffered by the user during the user's participation in the sporting activity.
However, if EVA or a similar low temperature melting plastic is used as part of a mouldable mouthguard in conjunction with braces or other orthodontic appliances, the softer thermoplastic easily becomes entangled with the braces and may cause damage to the braces or inconvenience to the user, such as shifting, broken wires, or debanded brackets.
Because every mouth has a different shape, a non-fitted mouthguard is inadequate for a great number of wearers. In addition, impact absorption increases with improved fit, meaning that fitted mouthguards have superior injury prevention characteristics. Therefore, there is a need for an improved mouthguard which may be fitted or formed for users having braces.